1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to ejection mechanisms and more particularly ejection mechanisms for releasing components of portable electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's marketplace, consumers have numerous portable electronic devices, such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants, from which to choose. Most of these devices have one or more removable panels or covers for protecting certain components or for adding to the aesthetic appearance of such units. For example, many cellular telephones include battery covers that couple to a telephone's housing and secure a battery to the telephone. Many of these battery covers are also stylish and consumers will purchase after-market units to individualize their mobile units.
As they are removable from cellular telephones, the battery cover as well as the housing of the cellular telephone may include structure for facilitating such a feature. In particular, in most cases, a movable mechanism or button is incorporated into the battery cover or the housing to enable the battery cover to be removed from the telephone. These mechanisms, however, require the consumer to grasp the edges of the battery cover or to slip a fingernail between the battery cover and the telephone housing to lift the battery cover away. To do so, a user must have a certain amount of dexterity, something that may be lacking in elderly or disabled persons.
In addition, some manufacturers have inserted foam padding on the inside surface of the battery cover, which can cause an opposing force to be exerted against the inside surface when the battery cover is coupled to the housing. When the movable mechanism or button is released, the opposing force can force the battery cover to move slightly in a direction away from the housing. Such a process can make the step of grasping the battery cover easier. Unfortunately, this structure adds to the overall thickness of the cellular telephone, a highly undesirable trait in the current state of mobile communications units.